September 21, 493 U.C.

If you take a trip to Earth, several political buildings are scattered across the continents. In London, there is one of these buildings. Made from marble and surrounded by flags, it stands in ornate majesty. The paradoxical building was known for its outer beauty and mediocre results.

Inside the building was a group of various nobility. Long descended from the richest families, they owned the corporations and nearly everything else. The cycle had come and gone twice now. We were once again back to lords who’d accumulated a lot of wealth.

If you were to walk inside on Thursday, you would have promptly been kicked out by security and possibly shot. Beyond the security were several nobility or their representatives. They’d gathered together to discuss heightened penalties for rogue magic users.

Hours ticked by while they discussed. I was unable to watch since I was stuck in a jungle, swatting at bugs. I did watch it on my ocular computer when I got home.

~~~

In a room with polished and carved wood, Lord Richard stood and straightened his suit. He looked out over his polished wooden desk. The chatter in the room died as representatives looked up from their own. Members of the press filmed it all from a balcony above.

Richard looked at his desk. Part of it lit up, displaying text. “Any other items of business for the council?”

A portly man, Lord Peter, stood and smiled. “I have an announcement. In the name of courtesy, I would like to inform the council.”

“What is it?” Richard asked.

“The organization of the Tuscan Elites. These enhanced soldiers will augment and aid the Royal Guardians.”

“Your military for defense then?” a woman asked, waving her arm in annoyance. She turned back and took a sip of wine.

“Yes.” Peter nodded.

“What is the plan to enhance? Augments?” a man asked while leaning back in his chair. He tossed a grape in his mouth.

Peter smiled and remained quiet for a moment. “We have some of our best and brightest working on new tech augments along with magical augments. We have had several breakthroughs.”

Silence slammed over the room. The creaking chairs and sound of food vanished in an instant. Every head spun. The news feed began spamming messages.

“You are saying that you no longer need the fae?” the woman asked, nearly vaulting out of her chair.

Peter nodded. “We were able to gain information from one of the self-awakened. It was quite intriguing. It seems there is another way. We were able to replicate it.”

“That must be shared!” a man said angrily as he slammed his hand on the table, spilling wine everywhere. “We were in agreement.”

Peter shook his head. “We paid dearly to get this information. This is a courtesy notification only. For those who wish to join our territory, you may do so in private. We’ll happily take and shield our citizens, working for a better future.”

A woman’s eyes flashed with anger. She vaulted from her chair with a massive scowl. “You walk a dangerous path, Lord Peter. We could grind you down for this.”

Peter waved his hand dismissively. “You can’t. You are already under siege by the wildlife. Lord Antonio has already agreed to join us. And since I knew that many of you would doubt, I have a little presentation. I’m certain you all were told of the hive near Lord Antonio’s territory. We’ll be removing it.” He gestured and a video feed popped up on the front wall.

~~~

I yawned and swatted at a fly that was bothering me. Rotten thing. I contemplated using haste to squash it. Instead, I waved and thrashed to try to grab it.

The group checked their gear while I gave up on the fly.

“I’m bored. Can we go now?” I asked, batting some tall grass with my hand. I pulled it out and waved it at the soldiers. They were all in camouflage. I was in my Viper disguise. I bonked a soldier with the grass.

“Viper! That was the signal!” a soldier barked at me as the group started walking.

“Oh!” I said and searched for the drone. “Are you streaming? Am I on it? I need the good publicity.” I waved at the drone and moved closer to it. “Hi, everyone!”

“Move out squad!” some soldier yelled.

I winked and grinned at the camera. “We’re just going to take care of this hive. And then maybe we’ll get a snack. That bakery was good. Maybe I’ll go there, or I could get pizza again. I love pizza! Hmm. Let me pull up the chat on this feed… Woh!” I was hit by a stream of messages. “That’s a lot of messages. Yes, I joined up with this group. You know about the registration requirements. Guardian Command? I don’t think I’ll join them. The pizza was great! The crust was perfect. I’m going to try-”

“Focus, Viper!” one of the men barked. You could hear the anxiety in his voice.

I shrugged and continued walking in front of the drone. “Well, I’m excited. I have a new spell lined up for everyone. It’s courtesy of Sunshine! So, if you know her, give her some love for me. I can see that some of you are concerned because I’m walking backward. It’ll be fine. You see, I’m not the only one that managed to get magic. They all have it too.” I gestured at the twenty-four around me. “We have a full contingent with two healers, four casters, and eighteen physically enhanced. The hive shouldn’t be any trouble. It won’t. Yes, but they have me. I’m awesome, obviously! My level is classified. No, I’m not doing a giveaway!”

The camera and I pivoted as a bug with six legs and long mandibles skittered forward. One of the physical soldiers kicked it. It cracked open as it shot through the air. Like some horrible projectile, the bug slammed into a tree, exploding in a horrible mess while the tree crashed to the ground.

I giggled and turned to the camera. “What’s the first thing to go through a bug’s brain when it’s kicked by a super soldier?” I asked with a grin.

“Viper!” a man yelled.

I giggled. “Whoops. No jokes then. Where’d that script go? There it is… We have gear too. The Tuscan Elites are prepared for combat. While we appreciate the guardians and the fae, we need to be self-sufficient and need to have more soldiers. To that end, Lord Peter has risen to the challenge!”

I paused a second and forced myself not to groan. That dude didn’t do shit! I was so tempted to say it, but I did not want to face Dad afterward. Instead, I looked back and read the rest in a droll voice.

“He is fighting to ensure that we all stay safe. I strongly encourage you to consider if your lords are living up to your expectations as rulers.” Then I turned back to the soldiers, bored with being their propaganda piece.

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Another bug, the size of a large dog, went flying into a tree. It burst in an explosion of glop, leaving a green mark on the tree bark. A soldier pulled out a massive, glowing glaive. He speared a cow-sized ant and kicked it aside, leaving a smear of green hemolymph on the ground.

Then bugs began skittering out of everywhere. The girl next to me unleashed a wave of ice to try to take some goose-sized hornets. One of the men was hit by something. The scent of blood mingled with the mess.

“Shit!” the man yelled. Then light flooded him as another healed him.

“Above!” one yelped.

I used Haste, turned, and slapped a hornet. It slammed into a tree, leaving a horrible paste. Not wanting to deal with them further, I leapt into the air, landing on one. Then I used them as jump pads, sending them flying into the ground or trees with each leap. It was cool to see their wings slowly moving. Then they shot downward as I vaulted to the next jump pad.

Of course, that’s not what the video showed. It just showed them all crash into everything while I blurred through them. Then I reappeared and waved at the camera.

A man with a glowing sword swathed through six of them with one swipe which was all sorts of impressive; though he got covered with an eruption of hemolymph. I turned to watch another bug light on fire. One of the casters was throwing fire around like a demented juggler. The smell of smoke and burning bugs mingled in with the mess.

I wrinkled my nose while the group continued killing bugs. A soldier cursed as some large ant ripped into his leg. He vaulted up as some healer helped him out.

I turned to survey things. There was a stream of bugs coming. In the distance, the stream turned into a river. The river surged forward, closing the gap with every second. I yawned and contemplated talking to the camera again. I wasn’t supposed to smash things until they said to do it.

“Viper!” the group leader barked as the river hit.

I used haste and began executing things. Bugs exploded under my hatchets. I launched off the ground, spun, and ripped the new flyers to shreds. Gross bug goo spewed on the troop like some horrible rain. Spotting the hive a kilometer ahead, I invoked my saved spell while in the air.

The wind blew my hair as I landed. Dropping haste, I posed for the camera. “Rising Star!” I proclaimed dramatically.

An orb that was roughly sixteen cubic meters shot forward. The camera drone rose upwards to record the glowing ball that flew out over the massive ant hill that was nearly three stories high. The ball settled on top of it, the veritable cherry of destruction to top it all off.

The pale red orb began to change color, shifting to orange, then yellow, then white, and then it turned a vibrant blue.

“SHIELD!” a soldier yelled.

The entire place lit up like it was under a massive spotlight. Thunder cracked through the air while bugs everywhere exploded. Wind from the shockwave nearly knocked over several of us. I flailed slightly to avoid it.

The camera panned and revealed destruction. Steam and smoke drifted off the hive. Burned bugs surrounded the place. The larger bugs were twitching. The smaller ones had popped under the heat, creating horrible steaming messes.

I used Haste and went through mindless tedium. The camera showed a blur that went through the area like some bug destruction machine. Like the prior Platinum video, there was just a blur and dying bugs as I finished things and raced into the tunnels.

Then the blur shot out of the tunnel and solidified. I gave a final wave to the camera as the feed cut out.

~~~

The room went eerily quiet. Then the moment ended just as fast.

“Viper!” some lord yelled. “If you watch this, I’ll pay you triple!”

“She should be in guardian command. They all should be,” a woman yelled while shaking a finger at Peter.

“Traitor!” another roared.

Then it became very hard to hear anything. People started shouting. It was pandemonium as people yelled. Peter smiled through it all, sipping his wine.

When it finally calmed enough to hear, I heard him first.

Peter sighed. “I will not tolerate slander. Some of us did not stand idly by. Welcome to the future, one where far more people can get magic. Welcome to a future where our fae overlords don’t control us! My family will bring humanity back to its former glory. It is through us that we can lead humanity through this dark. Join us if you -”

“Traitorous shit! I’ll rain hell on you!” a woman shouted.

“As will I!” another roared.

“If you want civil war, you’ll have it. You will not like it,” Peter hissed. “My soldiers have been training and advancing for years.”

“Traitor!” a woman said with a panicked expression on her face as she realized.

“The time has come. You can serve under me,” Peter said.

“Do not think to do this!” a man roared.

A woman glowered. “You are not the only one with preparations!”

Peter stood. “This is your warning. If you wish protection, you know where to get it.” He turned and walked out the door while pandemonium spread.

~~~

Horror gripped my throat and stomach. We just started a war. Is this Peter better than the fae? That horrible thought nagged at my soul. Water gathered in my eyes. Not we. Me. I started a war.

I felt like vomiting. A shudder ran up my spine. I looked at Dad with horror on my face. “Was that planned?”

Dad nodded. “It is necessary. We need them gone.”

I shuddered and fought back vomit. “People will die,” I whimpered. “A lot of people.”

“It’s necessary. The fae are killing us.”

I shook my head. “But we’re fighting humans,” I whispered.

“It’s necessary, Casey. We have to pull out the weeds.”

“Not at the cost of the people,” I whispered. A tear rolled down my cheek.

Dad patted me on the back. “We do what we must to save humanity.”

No matter the cost? I thought with horror on my face. Is he any better than the fae? Then I raced to the bathroom and lost my lunch, spewing it into the toilet. I began sobbing while I sat on the floor.

Ela fluttered out. “Casey?”

I struggled to bring myself to talk. “Things are bad. I think there is going to be a war. We need things to improve, but this is bad. So many will die.”

“You could turn yourself in?”

“They’ll kill me, Ela. I can’t do that.”

“Please don’t help them,” Ela said softly. "Please just trust me."

I didn't know how to respond to either request. We needed to get rid of the fae, not have another horrid war. I continued to sit on the floor and stew in my misery. My phone buzzed.

Daniele: Casey, what’s going on? How could you support this?

Me: I don’t. I don’t know what is happening. They just told me to help remove a hive.

Daniele: Oh, sorry. Are you alright?

Me: No. Will we have another world war? We’ll die if we do that.

Daniele: I don’t know. Don’t help them.

Me: I won’t. I’m sorry.

I froze time. With tears streaming down my face, I began writing this once more. I don't think it's helping either. I know that this path will require a revolt. I assumed it would be against the fae, not against each other. The gravity of it all sucks. I need a minute.

Current Level 11 Current XP 30.54% Current Max Mana 10685.63 Regen per minute 16.19 Reputation 12100

Tier Skill Cost Tier 11 User Time Dilation (Haste)

- User experiences 256 seconds for 1 earth second.

- Force transference limited to 25%. 1 mana per earth second. Tier 7 Pocket Dimension

- 128 cubic meters of pocket space.

- Rapid stash and rapid draw.

- You may tether objects to your pocket space.

- Your pocket space cleans, preserves, and organizes items inside based on your will. 32 mana Tier 7 Time Stop

- Caster leaves spacetime. They may remove and place things back in spacetime.

- You may control the flow of time in the demiplane.

- You may summon in willing living creatures.

- This automatically triggers if you take significant damage.

- Recast to gain vision. 200 mana to cast.

Variable cost to move items in and out. Tier 7 Teleport.

- Teleports the caster or a willing creature.

- You may cast this on a willing or unwilling creature if they are within fifty meters.

- You may teleport inside an object, causing the matter to push outward.

200 mana for the caster.

400 mana for a willing creature.

1000 mana for an unwilling creature with no resistance.

- Short range casts cost less mana.

Tier 3 Attire Swap

- Locked to a single outfit. Current outfit set to Magical Girl Uniform.

- Attire cleaned on swap.

- Attire repaired on swap. 20 mana. Tier 3 Enhanced Body

- Caster’s body is enhanced by a factor of eight. 2 mana per caster second. Tier 2 Enchanting.

- Enchantments last twice as long. Variable cost. Tier 2 Potions.

- Potions last twice as long. Variable cost. Tier 2 Familiar Manifestation. 20 mana to cast Tier 2 Free casting

- Cast any spell you can replicate.

- Slotted Spell. Use half the normal cost of the spell to store a single spell for future use. Cast the spell for the remaining cost. Variable cost. Penalty of 8x mana.